Grace before eating

It is my sense grace before dinner has not been something many people embrace much anymore. In our family we try to have a small ritual before holiday meals and there are some blessings I use from mindful eating practice at other times. But it is not a regular practice and it should be.

For these holidays, I wanted to share a blessing with you from John O’Donohue, an Irishman who left us so much beauty before he left this planet way too early. This blessing is from his wonderful book To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. It is my go to book on so many occasions. I am grateful for his words that often cut me to the core. They can only be described as “grace.” This blessing reflects the essence of being mindful when we eat.

Grace Before Meals

As we begin this meal with grace,

Let us become aware of the memory

Carried inside the food before us:

The quiver of the seed

Awakening in the earth,

Unfolding in a trust of roots

And slender stems of growth,

On its voyage toward harvest,

The kiss of rain and surge of sun;

The innocence of animal soul

That never spoke a word,

Nourished by the earth

To become today our food;

The work of all the strangers

Whose hands prepared it,

The privilege of wealth and health

That enables us to feast and celebrate.

May all beings live with grace each and every day.

Lenore teaches mindfulness in Albany, go to www.solidgroundny.org for information on classes and a special programs.

Lenore Flynn

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